Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-09-20
THE lEAKS IN THE GREAT -
INCH MAIN


SVme Stoft4o08 Ssotesocosss
10 ths Editor Of TEE EVENING STAR: |
In TEE srAs Of saturday evening md the |
''The 36-inch main, which was broken this morn |
nc, was laid IN 1872. Il Was placed on brick
ptefs upon which the ENDS Of the srcttous rest
rhe mace ground underneath the sections OF the
pipe ana around them haA N II supposed. fallen
away; thus the main has 70 bear It's own weight
and the weight OF the earth and the pavement
ABOVE Il. This has caused q strain which, IL Is
supposed, ied to the recent breaks and the break
to-day. Capt symons thought to-day that it
would be necessary 70 so over the whole length OF
the main where It 10 supported on pierA as de-
qsSsss sss place Dsnesn 1t stronger
And again yesterday IND In TEE STAR the fol-
lowing:
WHAT CAPT. synoxs REcoxnvxps
II have just written letter to Col. Ludlow"
said Capt Thos. w. symons to q STAR reporter to-
day. Recommending that the L-street main be
uncovered for the distance that Il rescs on piers
and carefully Oiled In underneath with concrete,
in order to distribute the strain on the pipe II viii
be nsS s 70 Sncoye. about LOCO feet speak
= mons sasd Ihst they are In good condition, al
though small breaks are reported In Them nearly
this city that were improperly cast. That is they
the other. few years ago these pipes were cast
are reversed and the pipe Ia cast In vertical DO
sition, thereby securing TO It greater equality In
thickness than was obtained under the old system"
IL would be dimculr TO condense more unfounded
statements than are contained In the above quota
ton.
In the first place this main does not rest on
brick piers Why make this statement when the
piers show for themselves that they are composed
OF stone masonry, set In cement, ana resting on a
concrete bottom, which In turn rests on the
natural foundation, which to find In some places
II was necessary TO so TO depth OF from 10 10
20 feet; and yet, with these facts before his
eyes, ind Supt. Hayden reported In TIE STAR
OF yesterday as repeating the same statement
that this main "reStS upon brick pleUr Any
citizen can 90 there and see for himself that these
The attempt to place the responsibility OF these
reported ''splits" Qor they are not breaks) upon
men who are in their graves and cannot speak
for themselves, In order to shield those now I'm
charge OF our water works from the calamltous re-
suits OF their laundering incompetency, Will not
The plain unvsrnished truth concerning these
"leaks" is that, when the connection was made
last spring between this main and the new
streets the air valves were not opened a A or II
opened were closed too soon, causing the air TO be-
come compressed, and the result was several
who had charge OF these mains for nearly twenty
years or any Intelligent plumber In the city
familiar with our water distribution, and they
Mr.. Larman is one OF the best mechanics in this
city, and Is thoroughly familiar with our water
system. Meeting that gentleman last evening /
asked MIN II he could throw any light upon this
question. His answer was that the trouble called
"DreakS" which Capt Symons attributes 10 a set
Ting Of the piers were nothing more nor less than
''spits" caused by failure TO open the air valves
whenever the water is turned on TO this main.
"How do you explain this7" asked
There are some twenty or more OF these air
valves !" he answered, shat tap the great main.
After the water has been turned on for repairs or
any other purpose, these mains become filled with
air on turning the water on IT was my practise
to station = man at each one OF The air valves,
with Instructions TO watch until the air had all
escaped before closing the valve These air valves
when the air Is being forced out by the rushing
water behind IL makes noise very much re,euI-
bling that OF q steam whistle. II these air valves
are not opened at such times 'split" is almost
for months The water will be absorbed by the
ground around the main, which slowly settles
the small hours after the hotels and bar rooms
have all stopped using water, and when the pres
sure is the greatest, the side OF the cracked main
from which the earth has settled viii burst out,
was the case last saturday morning. The fact
that side OF this cracked main was left In posi-
ton, and at the top and bottom is unbroken and
as straight as when laid is proof positive OF the
truth or what say"
MT. Larman then illustrated what he was saying
by Of and
til it broke. The break was square across the
bottom. ''You see, said Mr. Larman, shat this
aS Of s
the piers, with nothing underneath It to support
the weight. Now initiate this pipe until II bursts,
and you will ind that the split will very much re.
sem6ie the splits in the great main"
''This may all be" said, "but what knowledge
have you that the air valves you speak OF We're noi
opened when the connection was made with the
20-inch main last spring."
"The best knowledge In the world. an inspection
or the air valves which do not show that they
have been opened Tor years. Why have IuSI
come from the scene OF the L-street split There
are two air valves within 500 feet OF the split,
one OF which Is less than 200 feet from it, and thu
box where they are located is buried out OF sight
with caked earth, showing that 1t has not beer
opened for long time"
"what il there to prevent other splits from
been made when the water was turned on last
sunday morning."
follow every time the water Is turned OF and or
from this great main without opening the al,
valves, until It Is split from end 70 end and com
petely ruined II Is true that IL the fire. plugs
opened at such times portion OF the imprisoned
air Will escape through them, but this is moi
enough. 1t is necessary always, at such times tC
open the air valves which were made for that
sDid you tell them where these valves are
located?"
Il did not, for the simple reason that they did
not ask me, and for the further reason that it is
their business to know where they are. l did not
feel like intruding my opinions upon them unin-
vtIed."
Sucn Is brief report OF Mr. Larmans statements
concerning this calamity. II true 1t shows an
alarming cOQQltlOQ OF Cnl0&Nt winch should cause
prompt action TO be taken TO prevent the destruc-
ton OF a water main that cost nearly hair a
million dollars and TO meet the interest and sink
ing fund to pay the cost OF which 81, 61O OF our
water rents are set aside every year.
] know from personal knowledge that there
never was done better Job than the laying OF this
main in this city, and IL Is due TO Col. SaIIlO who
has gone where he cannot repute the ISLANDERS
that are heaped upon him. to say so. The history
OF this great main Is briefly this In the spring OF
1870 Congress authorized the laying OF this main,
and on the 18th OF July. 1871, the legislative
assembly appropriated $3.50 600 for the purpose
and authorized the issue OF that amount or f-per
cent 30-year bonds In 1873, $40, 900 more was APP
proprlated The board OF public works invited pro-
posals for furnishing the pipe. Thomas Evans OF
this city, and Wood 4 Son, OF Philadelphia, were
the lowest bidders but their bids after being
referred TO Attorney General Alderman, were
declared informal and the award was made TO
Star Son, Of Camden, n. j., the same firm that
now and for several years past has furnished our
water pipe. MIR. j. w. Thompson, who was then
q member OF the council took great interest In
this matter, and with others was determined that
tue work should be well done, and have reason
to know that II was wei done, for at the time
was opposing the board Of public works, and had
there been fraud In the laying OF this main
would have exposed II. The work was done under
the supervision OF Col. Same, VINO In laying the
stone piers on which the main rests, went down
to the natural foundations and laid his piers on
concrete, and the stone In cement. The main rests
on concave blocks OF wood, which rest on the
stone piers II will be found II an investigation
is made, that these much-abused piers stand as